Variation In Salivary Concentrations Research Articles

Variations of Salivary Levels of Osteoprotegerin during Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Aim: The study aimed to determine the variations of salivary levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) during the different stages of orthodontic tooth movement. Materials and Methods: A sample of 24 patients was taken up for the study. Salivary samples were collected from each of the patients at the following intervals: T(0) – before start of the appliance therapy, T(1) – 24–48 h following treatment initiation, T(2) – after 2 weeks of appliance insertion, and T(3) – 5 weeks of appliance insertion. At all times, whole unstimulated salivary samples were collected. ELISA-based assay was used to determine the levels of OPG in the salivary samples. The results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA with Bonferroni t -test. The significance value of P Results: According to the results, there was an insignificant decrease and increase of OPG levels. Salivary levels in the alternate stages of treatment. P value for this particular study was found to be 0.05. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the variations in salivary concentrations of OPG might be linked to various stages of orthodontic tooth movement. The site specificity of OPG collection requires further studies in the long run.

Time-related changes in salivary levels of the osteotropic factors sRANKL and OPG through orthodontic tooth movement

In this study, we aimed to determine whether the variations in salivary concentrations of soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (sRANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), and their ratios, might be linked with the different phases of orthodontic tooth movement. Twenty healthy subjects who required fixed appliance therapy not involving tooth extractions or surgical procedures were selected. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from each patient before fitting the orthodontic appliances, and at 24 to 48 hours, 2 weeks, 5 weeks, and 8 weeks after the activation. Salivary sRANKL and OPG concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The data were analyzed by using nonparametric statistics. Overall, median values of sRANKL showed significant increases, median OPG salivary values showed a significant downward trend, and the sRANKL/OPG ratio tended to increase significantly over time after the activation visit. However, clear fluctuations in the immunoenzymatic findings were noted at the different sampling times, indicating nonlinear trends in the levels of the biomarkers through time. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons showed significant differences between (1) all sRANKL values relative to those of the 8-week sampling time; (2) baseline/8-week OPG salivary levels; and (3) baseline, 24 to 48 hours, and 2-week sRANKL/OPG ratios compared with those of the 8-week test. The findings indicate that variations in salivary concentrations of sRANKL and OPG and their ratios might be linked to the different phases of orthodontic tooth movement. Hence, these analytes might serve in a panel of salivary functional biomarkers that could assist in the screening of orthodontic treatment in clinical practice.

Association of salivary levels of the bone remodelling regulators sRANKL and OPG with periodontal clinical status

To determine the variations in salivary concentrations of sRANKL, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and its ratio, regarding the periodontal status. Ninety-seven chronic periodontitis (CP) subjects and 43 healthy controls were selected. Periodontal status was assessed based on full-mouth clinical periodontal measurements. sRANKL and OPG salivary levels were analysed by ELISA. The association between these analytes and its ratio with CP was analysed individually and adjusted for confounding using a binary logistic regression model. sRANKL and sRANKL/OPG ratio were increased, whereas OPG was decreased in CP compared with healthy controls subjects. Although univariate analysis revealed a positive association of sRANKL salivary levels ≥6pg/ml, OPG salivary levels ≤131pg/ml and sRANKL/OPG ratio ≥0.062 with CP, after logistic regression analysis only the latter parameter was strongly and independently associated with disease status. Confounding and interaction effects of ageing and smoking habit on sRANKL and OPG levels could be noted. Although salivary concentrations of sRANKL, OPG and its ratio may act as indicators of the amount/extent of periodontal breakdown, the mutual confounding and synergistic biological interactive effects related to ageing and smoking habit of the susceptible host may also promote the tissue destruction in CP.

Gender differences in financial risk aversion and career choices are affected by testosterone

Women are generally more risk averse than men. We investigated whether between- and within-gender variation in financial risk aversion was accounted for by variation in salivary concentrations of testosterone and in markers of prenatal testosterone exposure in a sample of >500 MBA students. Higher levels of circulating testosterone were associated with lower risk aversion among women, but not among men. At comparably low concentrations of salivary testosterone, however, the gender difference in risk aversion disappeared, suggesting that testosterone has nonlinear effects on risk aversion regardless of gender. A similar relationship between risk aversion and testosterone was also found using markers of prenatal testosterone exposure. Finally, both testosterone levels and risk aversion predicted career choices after graduation: Individuals high in testosterone and low in risk aversion were more likely to choose risky careers in finance. These results suggest that testosterone has both organizational and activational effects on risk-sensitive financial decisions and long-term career choices.